In known sheet distributing devices there is provided a pair of horizontally spaced guide rolls rotatably supported in a movable carriage associated with a deflector means. Positioned between the guide rolls is a sheet gate adapted to swing about an axis lying in a sheet transport plane. The deflector means comprises a flat deflecting plate movable between two fixed positions. In one position the gate deflects an approaching sheet from the sheet transport plane into a collection pocket arranged below the plane, while in the other position the deflector means forms a bridge between the guide rolls such that the approaching sheet in the sheet transport plane may be conveyed in a straight line path and exit from the apparatus at an outlet end of the machine.
The carriage is continuously movable in the direction of sheet transport and is driven intermittently from one collection pocket to another, and in its return travel in the opposite direction it is driven from the last collection pocket to the first pocket. The guide rolls of the carriage support an endless belt adapted for movement into different planes, i.e., by means of rollers positioned in a rectangular array the belt is caused to travel in a rectangular sheet transport path around the pockets defining a collection compartment. The sheets entering or passing through the sheet transport plane lie unattached on the belt sections passing through the sheet transport plane. The carriage is further provided with pressure rolls, positioned above and in contact with the guide rolls, for applying the required thrust speed to the individual sheets to be deflected into the pockets.
The step-wise movement of the carriage from one pocket to the next is controlled by means of the belt drive incorporating an electromagnetically actuable arresting device for blocking one of the guide rolls. There is further provided an electrically controlled mechanical stop device for controlling the intermittent movement of the carriage. Because of various circumstances, and particularly because of the reduced velocity of the intermittent driving of the carriage and the sheet conveyance in the zone of the deflector means, the work speed which can be attained with this apparatus is substantially limited.
In still another known device for distributing sheets in a predetermined sequence there is shown a track means providing a horizontal sheet transport plane. At one end of the plane there is provided a pair of conveyor belts arranged one above the other and in contact with each other. Also provided is a diverting gate in the form of a rotatable double-wedge adapted to be set at any one of three different positions. Positioned beneath the gate is a belt set, driven in a vertical direction and guided by a carriage which is movable intermittently in a vertical plane adjacent entrance openings of collection pockets arranged one above the other in a stack.
The vertically driven belt sets comprise a set of belts guided by support rolls arranged in a stationary frame and by vertically positioned deflector rolls which effect a horizontal diversion of the sheet. The other group of belts of the belt set are supported on the upper rolls of the carriage by stationary deflector rolls positioned above the conveyor line of the carriage and by a movable tension roll positioned in the sheet transport plane of the deflector rolls. The tension roll is fastened to a drive cable associated with a chain drive of the carriage. While this apparatus provides a somewhat faster work speed than the apparatus described, supra, because of the use of four different conveyor belt sets of which two sets form a sheet transport plane and the other two sets form a sheet feed path perpendicular thereto, the apparatus is fairly complex requiring a substantial number of expensive components.
Both of these devices provide arrangements whereby the sheets may be fed into the transport plane from either end of the machine to permit several machines to be arranged in tandem so that any desired number of different sheets may be distributed into a number of collection pockets.
In still another known sheet distribution device, which can also be arranged in tandem, there is provided a vertical stack of sheet receiving pockets. The sheets are transported in a path above the pockets and, by means of vertically arranged conveyor rolls positioned side-by-side in pairs and a vertical belt drive roller means, the sheets are transported in a vertical feed path. A separate gate means is associated with each of the pockets for diverting a sheet into a respective receiving pocket.
All of these prior devices represent fairly complex and expensive sheet distributing apparatus. Additionally, however, because these devices utilize a substantial number of components and controls for driving and operating the various mechanisms, they are subject to more frequent servicing and adjustment and do not lend themselves to high speed and completely reliable operation.